Hybrid tomato ps01544291 and parent lines thereof

ABSTRACT

The invention provides seed and plants of tomato hybrid PS01544291 and the parent lines thereof, such as inbred parent line FDS 15-2102. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of tomato hybrid PS01544291 and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a tomato plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another tomato plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants, including the fruit and gametes of such plants.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of plant breeding and, morespecifically, to the development of tomato hybrid PS01544291 and theinbred tomato lines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The goal of vegetable breeding is to combine various desirable traits ina single variety/hybrid. Such desirable traits may include any traitdeemed beneficial by a grower and/or consumer, including greater yield,resistance to insects or disease, tolerance to environmental stress, andnutritional value.

Breeding techniques take advantage of a plant's method of pollination.There are two general methods of pollination: a plant self-pollinates ifpollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower ofthe same plant or plant variety. A plant cross-pollinates if pollencomes to it from a flower of a different plant variety.

Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type over manygenerations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce auniform population of true breeding progeny, a homozygous plant. A crossbetween two such homozygous plants of different genotypes produces auniform population of hybrid plants that are heterozygous for many geneloci. Conversely, a cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number ofloci produces a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically andare not uniform. The resulting non-uniformity makes performanceunpredictable.

The development of uniform varieties requires the development ofhomozygous inbred plants, the crossing of these inbred plants, and theevaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection areexamples of breeding methods that have been used to develop inbredplants from breeding populations. Those breeding methods combine thegenetic backgrounds from two or more plants or various other broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which new lines and hybrids derivedtherefrom are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes.The new lines and hybrids are evaluated to determine which of those havecommercial potential.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a tomato plant of thehybrid designated PS01544291, the tomato line FDR 15-2078 and tomatoline FDS 15-2102. Also provided are tomato plants having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of such a plant. Partsof these tomato plants are also provided, for example, including pollen,an ovule, scion, a rootstock, a fruit, and a cell of the plant.

In another aspect of the invention, a plant of tomato hybrid PS01544291and/or tomato lines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102 comprising an addedheritable trait is provided. The heritable trait may comprise a geneticlocus that is, for example, a dominant or recessive allele. In oneembodiment of the invention, a plant of tomato hybrid PS01544291 and/ortomato lines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102 is defined as comprising asingle locus conversion. In specific embodiments of the invention, anadded genetic locus confers one or more traits such as, for example,herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance, and modifiedcarbohydrate metabolism. In further embodiments, the trait may beconferred by a naturally occurring gene introduced into the genome of aline by backcrossing, a natural or induced mutation, or a transgeneintroduced through genetic transformation techniques into the plant or aprogenitor of any previous generation thereof. When introduced throughtransformation, a genetic locus may comprise one or more genesintegrated at a single chromosomal location.

The invention also concerns the seed of tomato hybrid PS01544291 and/ortomato lines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102. The tomato seed of theinvention may be provided as an essentially homogeneous population oftomato seed of tomato hybrid PS01544291 and/or tomato lines FDR 15-2078and FDS 15-2102. Essentially homogeneous populations of seed aregenerally free from substantial numbers of other seed. Therefore, seedof hybrid PS01544291 and/or tomato lines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102 maybe defined as forming at least about 97% of the total seed, including atleast about 98%, 99% or more of the seed. The seed population may beseparately grown to provide an essentially homogeneous population oftomato plants designated PS01544291 and/or tomato lines FDR 15-2078 andFDS 15-2102.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a tissue culture of regenerablecells of a tomato plant of hybrid PS01544291 and/or tomato lines FDR15-2078 and FDS 15-2102 is provided. The tissue culture will preferablybe capable of regenerating tomato plants capable of expressing all ofthe physiological and morphological characteristics of the startingplant, and of regenerating plants having substantially the same genotypeas the starting plant. Examples of some of the physiological andmorphological characteristics of the hybrid PS01544291 and/or tomatolines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102 include those traits set forth in thetables herein. The regenerable cells in such tissue cultures may bederived, for example, from embryos, meristems, cotyledons, pollen,leaves, anthers, roots, root tips, pistils, flowers, seed and stalks.Still further, the present invention provides tomato plants regeneratedfrom a tissue culture of the invention, the plants having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of hybrid PS01544291and/or tomato lines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, processes are provided forproducing tomato seeds, plants and fruit, which processes generallycomprise crossing a first parent tomato plant with a second parenttomato plant, wherein at least one of the first or second parent tomatoplants is a plant of tomato line FDR 15-2078 or tomato line FDS 15-2102.These processes may be further exemplified as processes for preparinghybrid tomato seed or plants, wherein a first tomato plant is crossedwith a second tomato plant of a different, distinct genotype to providea hybrid that has, as one of its parents, a plant of tomato line FDR15-2078 or tomato line FDS 15-2102. In these processes, crossing willresult in the production of seed. The seed production occurs regardlessof whether the seed is collected or not.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first step in “crossing”comprises planting seeds of a first and second parent tomato plant,often in proximity so that pollination will occur for example, mediatedby insect vectors. Alternatively, pollen can be transferred manually.Where the plant is self-pollinated, pollination may occur without theneed for direct human intervention other than plant cultivation.

A second step may comprise cultivating or growing the seeds of first andsecond parent tomato plants into plants that bear flowers. A third stepmay comprise preventing self-pollination of the plants, such as byemasculating the flowers (i.e., killing or removing the pollen).

A fourth step for a hybrid cross may comprise cross-pollination betweenthe first and second parent tomato plants. Yet another step comprisesharvesting the seeds from at least one of the parent tomato plants. Theharvested seed can be grown to produce a tomato plant or hybrid tomatoplant.

The present invention also provides the tomato seeds and plants producedby a process that comprises crossing a first parent tomato plant with asecond parent tomato plant, wherein at least one of the first or secondparent tomato plants is a plant of tomato hybrid PS01544291 and/ortomato lines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102. In one embodiment of theinvention, tomato seed and plants produced by the process are firstgeneration (F₁) hybrid tomato seed and plants produced by crossing aplant in accordance with the invention with another, distinct plant. Thepresent invention further contemplates plant parts of such an F₁ hybridtomato plant, and methods of use thereof. Therefore, certain exemplaryembodiments of the invention provide an F₁ hybrid tomato plant and seedthereof.

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method ofproducing a plant derived from hybrid PS01544291 and/or tomato lines FDR15-2078 and FDS 15-2102, the method comprising the steps of: (a)preparing a progeny plant derived from hybrid PS01544291 and/or tomatolines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102, wherein said preparing comprisescrossing a plant of the hybrid PS01544291 and/or tomato lines FDR15-2078 and FDS 15-2102 with a second plant; and (b) crossing theprogeny plant with itself or a second plant to produce a seed of aprogeny plant of a subsequent generation. In further embodiments, themethod may additionally comprise: (c) growing a progeny plant of asubsequent generation from said seed of a progeny plant of a subsequentgeneration and crossing the progeny plant of a subsequent generationwith itself or a second plant; and repeating the steps for an additional3-10 generations to produce a plant derived from hybrid PS01544291and/or tomato lines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102. The plant derived fromhybrid PS01544291 and/or tomato lines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102 may bean inbred line, and the aforementioned repeated crossing steps may bedefined as comprising sufficient inbreeding to produce the inbred line.In the method, it may be desirable to select particular plants resultingfrom step (c) for continued crossing according to steps (b) and (c). Byselecting plants having one or more desirable traits, a plant derivedfrom hybrid PS01544291 and/or tomato lines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102is obtained which possesses some of the desirable traits of theline/hybrid as well as potentially other selected traits.

In certain embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofproducing food or feed comprising: (a) obtaining a plant of tomatohybrid PS01544291 and/or tomato lines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102,wherein the plant has been cultivated to maturity, and (b) collecting atleast one tomato from the plant.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, the genetic complement oftomato hybrid PS01544291 and/or tomato lines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102is provided. The phrase “genetic complement” is used to refer to theaggregate of nucleotide sequences, the expression of which sequencesdefines the phenotype of, in the present case, a tomato plant, or a cellor tissue of that plant. A genetic complement thus represents thegenetic makeup of a cell, tissue or plant, and a hybrid geneticcomplement represents the genetic make up of a hybrid cell, tissue orplant. The invention thus provides tomato plant cells that have agenetic complement in accordance with the tomato plant cells disclosedherein, and seeds and plants containing such cells.

Plant genetic complements may be assessed by genetic marker profiles,and by the expression of phenotypic traits that are characteristic ofthe expression of the genetic complement, e.g., isozyme typing profiles.It is understood that hybrid PS01544291 and/or tomato lines FDR 15-2078and FDS 15-2102 could be identified by any of the many well knowntechniques such as, for example, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., 1990), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs(RAPDs), DNA Amplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence CharacterizedAmplified Regions (SCARs), Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction(AP-PCR), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858,specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), andSingle Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., 1998).

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides hybridgenetic complements, as represented by tomato plant cells, tissues,plants, and seeds, formed by the combination of a haploid geneticcomplement of a tomato plant of the invention with a haploid geneticcomplement of a second tomato plant, preferably, another, distincttomato plant. In another aspect, the present invention provides a tomatoplant regenerated from a tissue culture that comprises a hybrid geneticcomplement of this invention.

In still yet another aspect, the invention provides a plant of an hybridtomato that exhibits a combination of traits comprising resistance toboth tomato spotted wilt virus and tomato yellow leaf curl virus; adeterminate plant growth habit; and an excellent set of large fruits. Incertain embodiments, the combination of traits may be defined ascontrolled by genetic means for the expression of the combination oftraits found in tomato hybrid PS01544291.

In still yet another aspect, the invention provides a method ofdetermining the genotype of a plant of tomato hybrid PS01544291 and/ortomato lines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102 comprising detecting in thegenome of the plant at least a first polymorphism. The method may, incertain embodiments, comprise detecting a plurality of polymorphisms inthe genome of the plant. The method may further comprise storing theresults of the step of detecting the plurality of polymorphisms on acomputer readable medium. The invention further provides a computerreadable medium produced by such a method.

Any embodiment discussed herein with respect to one aspect of theinvention applies to other aspects of the invention as well, unlessspecifically noted.

The term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the standarddeviation of the mean for the device or method being employed todetermine the value. The use of the term “or” in the claims is used tomean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives onlyor the alternatives are mutually exclusive. When used in conjunctionwith the word “comprising” or other open language in the claims, thewords “a” and “an” denote “one or more,” unless specifically notedotherwise. The terms “comprise,” “have” and “include” are open-endedlinking verbs. Any forms or tenses of one or more of these verbs, suchas “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes” and“including,” are also open-ended. For example, any method that“comprises,” “has” or “includes” one or more steps is not limited topossessing only those one or more steps and also covers other unlistedsteps. Similarly, any plant that “comprises,” “has” or “includes” one ormore traits is not limited to possessing only those one or more traitsand covers other unlisted traits.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description. It should beunderstood, however, that the detailed description and any specificexamples provided, while indicating specific embodiments of theinvention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from this detaileddescription.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides methods and compositions relating to plants,seeds and derivatives of tomato hybrid PS01544291, tomato line FDR15-2078 and tomato line FDS 15-2102. The hybrid PS01544291 is producedby the cross of parent lines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102. The parentlines show uniformity and stability within the limits of environmentalinfluence. By crossing the parent lines, uniform seed of hybridPS01544291 can be obtained.

The development of tomato hybrid PS01544291 and its parent lines can besummarized as follows.

A. Origin and Breeding History of Tomato Hybrid PS01544291

The parents of hybrid PS01544291 are FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102. Thedevelopment of FDR 15-2078 can be summarized as follows:

Year 1 Hybrid 200396 made with a cross of line 411 [Tomato spotted wiltresistant] X line 186J [jointless stem attachment]. Line 411 is aderivative from South Africa and line 186J is a derivative from aFlorida breeding program [Petoseed Co.] Year 1 F2 bulk harvest fromhybrid 200396 made from plot 191. Year 2 Fixed jointless single plantselection source 97 Cul 783-1 made in F3 from segregating F2 plot. Bothparents are resistant to Verticillium wilt race 1 and Fusarium wiltraces 1 and 2, so will be resistant in all selections made in the F2.The selection was also uniform green at the mature green stage [line186J has a green shoulder] Year 2 Tomato spotted wilt virus [TSWV]resistance fixed in single plant selection in F4 generation of inbred411/186J. Also tested resistant to Alternaria stem canker and Grey leafspot in Pathology lab. Year 3 F5 bulk of inbred 411/186J, source 98 CUL148 BS. Line is already completely uniform for all traits. Year 3 Finalbulk in F6 generation of inbred 411/186J, source 98 FH 163 BS. Year 3Original hybrid PSR 150938 made between FDR-15-2031 [411/186J] andFDR-16- 2045 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,414,226). Year 4 First FS increase of FDR-15-2031 made with 100 bulked plants, source FTO 8244- 99. Observed tobe uniform for large plant, large deep oblate firm red fruits andjointless stem attachment. Source was 98 FH 163 BS. Year 4 F2 bulk madefrom hybrid PSR 150938, stake number 251, source 98 SE 3265 [fromSalama, Guatamala]. Year 5 Single plant selection source 00 Cul 250-1made in the F2 generation for large, healthy plant and good set of firmLarge to extra large red fruits. Verticillium wilt race 1, Fusarium wiltraces 1 and 2, and Alternaria stem canker are determined to be fixedfollowing testing in the pathology lab. Year 6 Single plant selectionmade in F3 generation from 00 Cul 250-1 single plant selection. Plant isa very healthy, tall Determinate with large to extra large firm redfruits with good color. ToMV, TSWV, and TYLCV are determined bymolecular marker testing to all still be segregating [heterozygous].Year 6 Fifteen single plant selections made of ‘938RR’ for vigorousplant, and uniform large firm fruits. Following molecular markeranalysis for tomato spotted wilt {Sw-5 gene] and tomato yellow leaf curl[Ty-1 gene], selection 01 GHH 200-15 is determined to be fixed for bothgenes. Year 8 First FS increase of F5 ‘938RR’ made as line codeFDR-15-2078, source FTO-8612- 03. Minor rouging out of smaller fruits.Year 9 Second FS increase of F6 bulk of FDR-15-2078 from sourceFTO-8612-03. New source FTO 8694-04. Plant and fruit and observed to becomplexly uniform.

FDS 15-2102 is a tomato variety with a long, dominant pear-shaped fruit;this variety is derived from industry standards. The development of theline can be summarized as follows:

Year 1 Hybrid determinate saladette tomato ‘Monica’ purchased from seeddealer. Year 1 F2 bulk harvest from row of Monica [stake number 405]taken in August, Year 1. Year 2 Two single plant selections made fromthe F2 segregation generation of ‘Monica’. Segregation was primarily forlarge, deep globe round fruits and also elongated fruits of either midor long length. Verticillium race 1 and Alternaria stem canker weretested to be fixed. Year 3 Four single plant selections made in the F3generation from 00 FH 54-1 for medium determinate plant and elongatedfruit shape [01 FH 303 1-4] but fruit length not yet uniform. Fusariumwilt race 1 also fixed this generation. Year 4 Three single plantselections made in the F4 generation from 01 FH 303-2 for mediumdeterminate plant and elongated fruit shape [02 FH 32 1-3]] but fruitlength not yet uniform. Year 5 Three single plant selections made in theF5 generation from 02 FH 32-3 for medium determinate plant and elongatedfruit shape [03 FH 88 1-3]] but fruit length not yet uniform. Year 5Five single plant selections made in F6 from 03 FH 88-2 for the mostuniform narrow, elongated fruits [03GHH 298-1-5]. Year 6 F7 bulk offixed line known as 04 GHH 227 BS made from F6 single plant selection 03GHH 298-2 showing uniform narrow, elongated fruits. Year 7 FS increaseof F8 selection, line code 1509 as FDS-15-2102, source FTO-8755-05.

The parent lines are uniform and stable, as is a hybrid therefrom. Asmall percentage of variants can occur within commercially acceptablelimits for almost any characteristic during the course of repeatedmultiplication. However no variants are expected.

B. Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Tomato HybridPS01544291 and Tomato Line FDS 15-2102

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a plant having the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of tomato hybrid PS01544291 and the parent linesthereof. A description of the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of such plants is presented in Tables 1-2.

TABLE 1 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of HybridPS01544291 CHARACTERISTIC PS01544291 Cultivation conditions (allreplicates) Greenhouse or field? Field Direct-seeded or transplanted?Transplanted Staked or unstaked? Unstaked Replicate 1 Sown on Mar. 22,2009 Transplanted on May 4, 2009 Replicate 2 Sown on Apr. 01, 2009Transplanted on May 18, 2009 Replicate 3 Sown on May 4, 2009Transplanted Jun. 15, 2009 Seedling Anthocyanin in hypocotyl of 2-15 cmseedling Present Habit of 3-4 week old seedling Normal Mature Plant (atmaximum vegetative development) Height 100 cm Growth Determinate FormNormal Size of canopy (compared to others of similar Medium type) HabitSprawling (decumbent) Stem Branching Profuse (UC 82) Branching atcotyledonary or first leafy node Absent Number of nodes between firstinflorescence 1-4 Number of nodes between early (1^(st)-2^(nd), 2^(nd)-4-7 3^(rd)) inflorescences Number of nodes between later developing 4-7inflorescences Pubescence on younger stems Sparsely hairy (scatteredlong hairs) Leaf (mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd) inflorescence) TypeTomato Morphology Bi-pinnate, tomato Margins of major leaflets Shallowlytoothed or scalloped Marginal rolling or wiltiness Slight Onset ofleaflet rolling Late season Surface of major leaflets Smooth PubescenceNormal Inflorescence (3^(rd) inflorescence) Type Simple Average numberof flowers in inflorescence 7   Leafy or “running” inflorescence AbsentFlower Calyx Normal (lobes awl shaped) Calyx-lobes Approx. equalingcorolla Corolla color Yellow Style pubescence Sparse Anthers All fusedinto tube Fasciation (1^(st) flower of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) inflorescence)Absent Fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Typical fruitshape Cylindrical Shape of transverse section Round Shape of stem endFlat Shape of blossom end Tapered Shape of pistil scar Dot Abscissionlayer Present (pedicellate) Point of detachment of fruit at harvest Atcalyx attachment Length of dedicel 11 mm Length of mature fruit (stemaxis) 80 mm Diameter of fruit at widest point 50 mm Weight of maturefruit 160 grams Number of locules 3 and 4 Fruit surface Smooth Fruitbase color (mature-green stage) Light green (Lanai, VF 145-F5) Fruitpattern (mature-green stage) Uniform green Shoulder color Not differentfrom base Fruit color, full-ripe Red Flesh color, full-ripe Red/CrimsonFlesh color Uniform Locular gel color of table-ripe fruit Red Ripening(blossom-to-stem axis) Uniform Ripening (central to peripheral radialaxis) Uniform Stem scar size Small (Roma) Core Coreless (absent orsmaller than 6 × 6 mm) Epidermis color Yellow Epidermis Normal Epidermistexture Average Thickness of pericarp 8 mm Anthocyanin in hypocotyl of2-15 cm seedling Present Habit of 3-4 week old seedling NormalResistance to Fruit Disorder Cracking, concentric Resistant Cracking,radial Resistant Disease and Pest Reaction Viral Diseases Cracking,concentric Resistant Tobacco mosaic, Race 0 Susceptible Tobacco mosaic,Race 1 Susceptible Tobacco mosaic, Race 2 Susceptible Tobacco mosaic,Race 2² Susceptible Tomato spotted wilt Resistant Tomato yellow leafcurl Resistant Bacterial Diseases Bacterial canker Susceptible(Corynebacterium michiganense) Bacterial speck (Pseudomonas tomato)Susceptible Bacterial spot (Xanthomonas vesicatorium) SusceptibleBacterial wilt (Pseudomonas solanacearum) Susceptible Fungal DiseasesEarly blight defoliation (Alternaria solani) Susceptible Fusarium wilt,Race 1 Resistant (F. oxysporum f. lycopersici) Fusarium wilt, Race 2Resistant Fusarium wilt, Race 3 Susceptible Gray leaf spot (Stemphyliumspp.) Resistant Late blight, Race 0 (Phytophthora infestans) SusceptibleLate blight, Race 1 Susceptible Verticilium wilt Race 2 SusceptibleVerticillium wilt, Race 1 (V. albo-atrum) Resistant Insects and PestsSouthern root knot nematode Susceptible (Meloidogyne incognita)Chemistry and Composition of Full-Ripe Fruits pH 4.7 Titratable acidity,as % citric 7.3 Total solids (dry matter, seeds and skin removed) 5.9 (%by weight) Soluble solids as % Brix 5.1 Check Variety 22. Monica 4.8Phenology Seeding to 50% flow (1 open on 50% of plants) 56 days Seed toonce over harvest (if applicable) 120 days Fruiting season Short,concentrated (‘VF 145’) Relative maturity in areas tested MediumAdaptation Culture Field Principle use(s) Fresh market Machine harvestNot adapted Regions to which adaptation has been Florida; Sacramento,Upper San demonstrated Joaquin Valley and Coastal Areas of California*These are typical values. Values may vary due to environment. Othervalues that are substantially equivalent are also within the scope ofthe invention.

TABLE 2 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Line FDS15-2102 CHARACTERISTIC FDS 15-2102 MONICA Seedling Anthocyanin inhypocotyl of 2- Present (Montfavet H 63.4) Present 15 cm seedling Habitof 3-4 week old seedling Normal Normal Mature Plant Height 44 cm 74 cmGrowth type Determinate (Campbell Determinate (Campbell 1327, Prisca)1327, Prisca) Number of inflorescences on Medium (Montfavet H 63.4)Medium (Montfavet H 63.4) main stem (side shoots to be removed) FormLax, open Lax, open Size of canopy (compared to Medium Large others ofsimilar type) Habit Sprawling (decumbent) Semi erect Stem Anthocyanincoloration of Absent or very weak Weak upper third BranchingIntermediate (Westover) Intermediate Branching at cotyledon or firstPresent Present leafy node Number of nodes between first 4 to 7 4 to 7inflorescence Number of nodes between early 1 to 4 1 to 4 (1^(st) to2^(nd), 2^(nd) to 3^(rd)) inflorescences Number of nodes between later 1to 4 1 to 4 developing inflorescences Pubescence on younger stemsSparsely hairy (scattered Moderately hairy long hairs) Leaf Type (matureleaf beneath the Tomato Tomato 3^(rd) inflorescence) Morphology (matureleaf Bi-pinnate, normal tomato Bi-pinnate, normal tomato beneath the3^(rd) inflorescence) Margins of major leaflets Shallowly toothed orShallowly toothed or (mature leaf beneath the 3^(rd) scalloped scallopedinflorescence) Marginal rolling or wiltiness Slight Slight (mature leafbeneath the 3^(rd) inflorescence) Onset of leaflet rolling (mature Earlyseason Mid season leaf beneath the 3^(rd) inflorescence) Surface ofmajor leaflets Rugose (bumpy or veiny) Smooth (mature leaf beneath the3^(rd) inflorescence) Pubescence (mature leaf Hirsute Normal beneath the3^(rd) inflorescence) Attitude (in middle third of Horizontal (Aromata,Triton) Horizontal plant) Length Medium (Lorena) Medium Width Narrow(Marmande VR, Narrow Red Robin, Tiny Tim) Division of blade Pinnate(Mikado, Pilot, Red Pinnate Jacket) Size of leaflets (in middle of Verysmall (Minitom) Medium leaf) Intensity of green color Light (Macero II,Poncette, Dark Rossol) Glossiness (in middle third of Weak (Daniela)Weak plant) Blistering (in middle third of Weak Daniela) plant) Size ofblisters (in middle third Small (Husky Cherrie Red) of plant) Attitudeof petiole of leaflet in Semi-drooping (Montfavet Horizontal relation tomain axis (in middle H 63.5) third of plant) Inflorescence InflorescenceType (2^(nd) and 3^(rd) Mainly uniparous (Dynamo) Mainly multiparoustruss) Type (observations on the 3^(rd) Simple Simple inflorescence)Average number of flowers in 10      8    inflorescence (makeobservations on the 3^(rd) inflorescence) Leafy or “running” AbsentOccasional inflorescence (observations on the 3^(rd) inflorescence)Flower Calyx Normal (lobes awl shaped) Normal Calyx-lobes Shorter thancorolla Shorter than corolla Corolla color Yellow Yellow Stylepubescence Absent or very scarce Absent or very sparse (Campbell 1327)Anthers All fused into tube All fused into tube Fasciation (1^(st)flower of 2^(nd) or Absent (Monalbo, Occasionally present 3^(rd)inflorescence) Moneymaker) Color Yellow (Marmande VR) Yellow FruitTypical shape in longitudinal Heart shaped Heart shaped section (3^(rd)fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Shape of transverse/cross Round Roundsection (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Shape of stem end(3^(rd) fruit of Flat Indented 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Shape ofblossom end (3^(rd) fruit Pointed/tapered (Europeel, Pointed/tapered of2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Heinz 1706, Hypee 244, Roma VF) Size ofblossom scar Small (Montfavet H 63.4, Small Montfavet H 63.5) Shape ofpistil scar (3^(rd) fruit of Dot Stellate 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster)Peduncle: abscission layer (3^(rd) Present (pedicellate) Present fruitof 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) (Montfavet H 63.5, Roma) Peduncle: lengthfrom Short (Cerise, Ferline, Short abscission layer to calyx Montfavet H63.18, Rossol) Ribbing at peduncle end Absent or very weak Absent orvery weak (Calimero, Cerise) Depression at peduncle end Absent or veryweak Weak (Europeel, Heinz 1706, Rossol, Sweet Baby) Size ofstem/peduncle scar Very small (Cerise, Heinz Medium 1706, Sweet Baby)Point of detachment of fruit at At calyx attachment At calyx attachmentharvest (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Length of dedicel(3^(rd) fruit of 18 mm 14 mm 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Length of maturefruit (3^(rd) fruit 122 mm 77 mm of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd) cluster) Diameterof fruit (3^(rd) fruit of 2^(nd) 34 mm 49 mm or 3^(rd) cluster) Weightof mature fruit (3^(rd) fruit 95 grams 117 grams of 2^(nd) or 3^(rd)cluster) Size Large (Carmello, Ringo) Medium Ratio length/diameter Large(Rimone, Rio Grande) Medium Core Present Coreless Size of core in crosssection (in Small (Early Mech, relation to total diameter) Europeel,Heinz 1706, Peto Gro, Rio Grande, Rossol) Number of locules 2 or 3(Alphamech, Futuria) 4, 5 or 6 Surface Slightly rough Smooth Base color(mature-green stage) Light green (Lanai, VF 145-F5) Apple or mediumgreen Pattern (mature-green stage) Uniform green Green shouldered Greenshoulder (before Absent (Felicia, Rio Grande, Present maturity) Trust)Shoulder color if different from Dark green base Extent of greenshoulder (before Large maturity) Intensity of green color of Mediumshoulder (before maturity) Intensity of green color of fruit Light(Capello, Duranto, Light (before maturity) Trust) Color at maturity(full-ripe) Red (Ferline, Daniela, Red Montfavet H 63.5) Color of fleshat maturity (full- Red/crimson (Ferline, Saint- Red/crimson ripe)Pierre) Flesh color Uniform Uniform Locular gel color of table-ripe RedRed fruit Firmness Soft (Trend) Medium Shelf life Medium (Durinta) LongTime of flowering Early (Feria, Primabel) Medium Time of maturity Early(Feria, Rossol) Medium Ripening (blossom-to-stem Uniform Uniform axis)Ripening (peripheral to central Uniform Uniform radial axis) Epidermiscolor Yellow Yellow Epidermis Normal Normal Epidermis texture ToughTough Thickness of pericarp Medium (Carmello, Thin Europeel, Floradade,Heinz 1706, Montfavet H 63.5) Sensitivity to Silvering Insensitive(Marathon, Sano) Insensitive Chemistry and Composition of Full- RipeFruits pH 4.36   4.35  Titratable Acidity, as % citric 0.30912   0.40064Total Solids (% by weight) 6.298575 5.925  Soluble Solids as ° Brix5.045   5.1152 Phenology Seeding to once over harvest (if 113 days 114days applicable) Fruiting season Medium (Westover) Medium Relativematurity in areas tested Medium early Medium early Adaptation CultureField Field Principle use(s): (if more than Fresh market Fresh Marketone category applies, list all in rank order Regions to which adaptationhas California: Sacramento and been demonstrated (if more than Upper SanJoaquin one category applies, list all in rank order) *These are typicalvalues. Values may vary due to environment. Other values that aresubstantially equivalent are also within the scope of the invention.

C. Breeding Tomato Plants

One aspect of the current invention concerns methods for producing seedof tomato hybrid PS01544291 involving crossing tomato lines FDR 15-2078and FDS 15-2102. Alternatively, in other embodiments of the invention,hybrid PS01544291, line FDR 15-2078, or line FDS 15-2102 may be crossedwith itself or with any second plant. Such methods can be used forpropagation of hybrid PS01544291 and/or the tomato lines FDR 15-2078 andFDS 15-2102, or can be used to produce plants that are derived fromhybrid PS01544291 and/or the tomato lines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102.Plants derived from hybrid PS01544291 and/or the tomato lines FDR15-2078 and FDS 15-2102 may be used, in certain embodiments, for thedevelopment of new tomato varieties.

The development of new varieties using one or more starting varieties iswell known in the art. In accordance with the invention, novel varietiesmay be created by crossing hybrid PS01544291 followed by multiplegenerations of breeding according to such well known methods. Newvarieties may be created by crossing with any second plant. In selectingsuch a second plant to cross for the purpose of developing novel lines,it may be desired to choose those plants which either themselves exhibitone or more selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit thedesired characteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Once initialcrosses have been made, inbreeding and selection take place to producenew varieties. For development of a uniform line, often five or moregenerations of selfing and selection are involved.

Uniform lines of new varieties may also be developed by way ofdouble-haploids. This technique allows the creation of true breedinglines without the need for multiple generations of selfing andselection. In this manner true breeding lines can be produced in aslittle as one generation. Haploid embryos may be produced frommicrospores, pollen, anther cultures, or ovary cultures. The haploidembryos may then be doubled autonomously, or by chemical treatments(e.g. colchicine treatment). Alternatively, haploid embryos may be growninto haploid plants and treated to induce chromosome doubling. In eithercase, fertile homozygous plants are obtained. In accordance with theinvention, any of such techniques may be used in connection with a plantof the invention and progeny thereof to achieve a homozygous line.

Backcrossing can also be used to improve an inbred plant. Backcrossingtransfers a specific desirable trait from one inbred or non-inbredsource to an inbred that lacks that trait. This can be accomplished, forexample, by first crossing a superior inbred (A) (recurrent parent) to adonor inbred (non-recurrent parent), which carries the appropriate locusor loci for the trait in question. The progeny of this cross are thenmated back to the superior recurrent parent (A) followed by selection inthe resultant progeny for the desired trait to be transferred from thenon-recurrent parent. After five or more backcross generations withselection for the desired trait, the progeny have the characteristicbeing transferred, but are like the superior parent for most or almostall other loci. The last backcross generation would be selfed to givepure breeding progeny for the trait being transferred.

The plants of the present invention are particularly well suited for thedevelopment of new lines based on the elite nature of the geneticbackground of the plants. In selecting a second plant to cross withPS01544291 and/or tomato lines FDR 15-2078 and FDS 15-2102 for thepurpose of developing novel tomato lines, it will typically be preferredto choose those plants which either themselves exhibit one or moreselected desirable characteristics or which exhibit the desiredcharacteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Examples of desirabletraits may include, in specific embodiments, high seed yield, high seedgermination, seedling vigor, high fruit yield, disease tolerance orresistance, and adaptability for soil and climate conditions.Consumer-driven traits, such as a fruit shape, color, texture, and tasteare other examples of traits that may be incorporated into new lines oftomato plants developed by this invention.

D. Performance Characteristics

As described above, hybrid PS01544291 exhibits desirable agronomictraits. The performance characteristics of PS01544291 were the subjectof an objective analysis of the performance traits relative to othervarieties. The results of the analysis are presented below.

TABLE 3 Fruit Size Comparison For PS01544291 and Comparison VarietiesMonica and Mariana Hybrid Average Fruit Size (L × W) PS01544291 8 cm × 5cm Monica 7 cm × 4 cm Mariana 7 cm × 3.5 cm

E. Further Embodiments of the Invention

In certain aspects of the invention, plants described herein areprovided modified to include at least a first desired heritable trait.Such plants may, in one embodiment, be developed by a plant breedingtechnique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to a genetic locus transferred into the plant viathe backcrossing technique. The term single locus converted plant asused herein refers to those tomato plants which are developed by a plantbreeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to the single locus transferred into the varietyvia the backcrossing technique. By essentially all of the morphologicaland physiological characteristics, it is meant that the characteristicsof a plant are recovered that are otherwise present when compared in thesame environment, other than an occasional variant trait that mightarise during backcrossing or direct introduction of a transgene. Oneembodiment of the current invention therefore provides a plant asdescribed herein that comprises a single locus conversion and/ortransgene, wherein the plant comprises essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of tomato hybridPS01544291, tomato line FDR 15-2078 or tomato line FDS 15-2102. It isunderstood in the art that “single locus conversion” encompasses locithat are both transgenic and non-transgenic in their origin.

Backcrossing methods can be used with the present invention to improveor introduce a characteristic into the present variety. The parentaltomato plant which contributes the locus for the desired characteristicis termed the nonrecurrent or donor parent. This terminology refers tothe fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used one time in the backcrossprotocol and therefore does not recur. The parental tomato plant towhich the locus or loci from the nonrecurrent parent are transferred isknown as the recurrent parent as it is used for several rounds in thebackcrossing protocol.

In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety of interest(recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent)that carries the single locus of interest to be transferred. Theresulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to therecurrent parent and the process is repeated until a tomato plant isobtained wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered in the convertedplant, in addition to the single transferred locus from the nonrecurrentparent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent is an important step for asuccessful backcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol isto alter or substitute a single trait or characteristic in the originalvariety. To accomplish this, a single locus of the recurrent variety ismodified or substituted with the desired locus from the nonrecurrentparent, while retaining essentially all of the rest of the desiredgenetic, and therefore the desired physiological and morphologicalconstitution of the original variety. The choice of the particularnonrecurrent parent will depend on the purpose of the backcross; one ofthe major purposes is to add some commercially desirable trait to theplant. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristicor trait being altered and the genetic distance between the recurrentand nonrecurrent parents. Although backcrossing methods are simplifiedwhen the characteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, arecessive allele, or an additive allele (between recessive anddominant), may also be transferred. In this instance it may be necessaryto introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desiredcharacteristic has been successfully transferred.

In one embodiment, progeny tomato plants of a backcross in which a plantdescribed herein is the recurrent parent comprise (i) the desired traitfrom the non-recurrent parent and (ii) all of the physiological andmorphological characteristics of tomato the recurrent parent asdetermined at the 5% significance level when grown in the sameenvironmental conditions.

New varieties can also be developed from more than two parents. Thetechnique, known as modified backcrossing, uses different recurrentparents during the backcrossing. Modified backcrossing may be used toreplace the original recurrent parent with a variety having certain moredesirable characteristics or multiple parents may be used to obtaindifferent desirable characteristics from each.

Many single locus traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new inbred but that can be improvedby backcrossing techniques. Single locus traits may or may not betransgenic; examples of these traits include, but are not limited to,herbicide resistance, resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viral disease,insect resistance, modified fatty acid or carbohydrate metabolism, andaltered nutritional quality. These comprise genes generally inheritedthrough the nucleus.

Direct selection may be applied where the single locus acts as adominant trait. For this selection process, the progeny of the initialcross are assayed for viral resistance and/or the presence of thecorresponding gene prior to the backcrossing. Selection eliminates anyplants that do not have the desired gene and resistance trait, and onlythose plants that have the trait are used in the subsequent backcross.This process is then repeated for all additional backcross generations.

Selection of tomato plants for breeding is not necessarily dependent onthe phenotype of a plant and instead can be based on geneticinvestigations. For example, one can utilize a suitable genetic markerwhich is closely genetically linked to a trait of interest. One of thesemarkers can be used to identify the presence or absence of a trait inthe offspring of a particular cross, and can be used in selection ofprogeny for continued breeding. This technique is commonly referred toas marker assisted selection. Any other type of genetic marker or otherassay which is able to identify the relative presence or absence of atrait of interest in a plant can also be useful for breeding purposes.Procedures for marker assisted selection are well known in the art. Suchmethods will be of particular utility in the case of recessive traitsand variable phenotypes, or where conventional assays may be moreexpensive, time consuming or otherwise disadvantageous. Types of geneticmarkers which could be used in accordance with the invention include,but are not necessarily limited to, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., 1990), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs(RAPDs), DNA Amplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence CharacterizedAmplified Regions (SCARs), Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction(AP-PCR), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858,specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), andSingle Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., 1998).

F. Plants Derived by Genetic Engineering

Many useful traits that can be introduced by backcrossing, as well asdirectly into a plant, are those which are introduced by genetictransformation techniques. Genetic transformation may therefore be usedto insert a selected transgene into a plant of the invention or may,alternatively, be used for the preparation of transgenes which can beintroduced by backcrossing. Methods for the transformation of plantsthat are well known to those of skill in the art and applicable to manycrop species include, but are not limited to, electroporation,microprojectile bombardment, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation anddirect DNA uptake by protoplasts.

To effect transformation by electroporation, one may employ eitherfriable tissues, such as a suspension culture of cells or embryogeniccallus or alternatively one may transform immature embryos or otherorganized tissue directly. In this technique, one would partiallydegrade the cell walls of the chosen cells by exposing them topectin-degrading enzymes (pectolyases) or mechanically wound tissues ina controlled manner.

An efficient method for delivering transforming DNA segments to plantcells is microprojectile bombardment. In this method, particles arecoated with nucleic acids and delivered into cells by a propellingforce. Exemplary particles include those comprised of tungsten,platinum, and preferably, gold. For the bombardment, cells in suspensionare concentrated on filters or solid culture medium. Alternatively,immature embryos or other target cells may be arranged on solid culturemedium. The cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriatedistance below the macroprojectile stopping plate.

An illustrative embodiment of a method for delivering DNA into plantcells by acceleration is the Biolistics Particle Delivery System, whichcan be used to propel particles coated with DNA or cells through ascreen, such as a stainless steel or Nytex screen, onto a surfacecovered with target cells. The screen disperses the particles so thatthey are not delivered to the recipient cells in large aggregates.Microprojectile bombardment techniques are widely applicable, and may beused to transform virtually any plant species.

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer is another widely applicable system forintroducing gene loci into plant cells. An advantage of the technique isthat DNA can be introduced into whole plant tissues, thereby bypassingthe need for regeneration of an intact plant from a protoplast. ModernAgrobacterium transformation vectors are capable of replication in E.coli as well as Agrobacterium, allowing for convenient manipulations(Klee et al., 1985). Moreover, recent technological advances in vectorsfor Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer have improved the arrangementof genes and restriction sites in the vectors to facilitate theconstruction of vectors capable of expressing various polypeptide codinggenes. The vectors described have convenient multi-linker regionsflanked by a promoter and a polyadenylation site for direct expressionof inserted polypeptide coding genes. Additionally, Agrobacteriumcontaining both armed and disarmed Ti genes can be used fortransformation.

In those plant strains where Agrobacterium-mediated transformation isefficient, it is the method of choice because of the facile and definednature of the gene locus transfer. The use of Agrobacterium-mediatedplant integrating vectors to introduce DNA into plant cells is wellknown in the art (Fraley et al., 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,055).

Transformation of plant protoplasts also can be achieved using methodsbased on calcium phosphate precipitation, polyethylene glycol treatment,electroporation, and combinations of these treatments (see, e.g.,Potrykus et al., 1985; Omirulleh et al., 1993; Fromm et al., 1986;Uchimiya et al., 1986; Marcotte et al., 1988). Transformation of plantsand expression of foreign genetic elements is exemplified in Choi et al.(1994), and Ellul et al. (2003).

A number of promoters have utility for plant gene expression for anygene of interest including but not limited to selectable markers,scoreable markers, genes for pest tolerance, disease resistance,nutritional enhancements and any other gene of agronomic interest.Examples of constitutive promoters useful for plant gene expressioninclude, but are not limited to, the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV)P-35S promoter, which confers constitutive, high-level expression inmost plant tissues (see, e.g., Odel et al., 1985), including in monocots(see, e.g., Dekeyser et al., 1990; Terada and Shimamoto, 1990); atandemly duplicated version of the CaMV 35S promoter, the enhanced 35Spromoter (P-e35S); the nopaline synthase promoter (An et al., 1988); theoctopine synthase promoter (Fromm et al., 1989); and the Figwort mosaicvirus (P-FMV) promoter as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619 and anenhanced version of the FMV promoter (P-eFMV) where the promotersequence of P-FMV is duplicated in tandem; the Cauliflower mosaic virus19S promoter; a Sugarcane bacilliform virus promoter; a Commelina yellowmottle virus promoter; and other plant DNA virus promoters known toexpress in plant cells.

A variety of plant gene promoters that are regulated in response toenvironmental, hormonal, chemical, and/or developmental signals can alsobe used for expression of an operably linked gene in plant cells,including promoters regulated by (1) heat (Callis et al., 1988), (2)light (e.g., pea rbcS-3A promoter, Kuhlemeier et al., 1989; maize rbcSpromoter, Schaffner and Sheen, 1991; or chlorophyll a/b-binding proteinpromoter, Simpson et al., 1985), (3) hormones, such as abscisic acid(Marcotte et al., 1989), (4) wounding (e.g., wunl, Siebertz et al.,1989); or (5) chemicals such as methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, orSafener. It may also be advantageous to employ organ-specific promoters(e.g., Roshal et al., 1987; Schernthaner et al., 1988; Bustos et al.,1989).

Exemplary nucleic acids which may be introduced to plants of thisinvention include, for example, DNA sequences or genes from anotherspecies, or even genes or sequences which originate with or are presentin the same species, but are incorporated into recipient cells bygenetic engineering methods rather than classical reproduction orbreeding techniques. However, the term “exogenous” is also intended torefer to genes that are not normally present in the cell beingtransformed, or perhaps simply not present in the form, structure, etc.,as found in the transforming DNA segment or gene, or genes which arenormally present and that one desires to express in a manner thatdiffers from the natural expression pattern, e.g., to over-express.Thus, the term “exogenous” gene or DNA is intended to refer to any geneor DNA segment that is introduced into a recipient cell, regardless ofwhether a similar gene may already be present in such a cell. The typeof DNA included in the exogenous DNA can include DNA which is alreadypresent in the plant cell, DNA from another plant, DNA from a differentorganism, or a DNA generated externally, such as a DNA sequencecontaining an antisense message of a gene, or a DNA sequence encoding asynthetic or modified version of a gene.

Many hundreds if not thousands of different genes are known and couldpotentially be introduced into a tomato plant according to theinvention. Non-limiting examples of particular genes and correspondingphenotypes one may choose to introduce into a tomato plant include oneor more genes for insect tolerance, such as a Bacillus thuringiensis(B.t.) gene, pest tolerance such as genes for fungal disease control,herbicide tolerance such as genes conferring glyphosate tolerance, andgenes for quality improvements such as yield, nutritional enhancements,environmental or stress tolerances, or any desirable changes in plantphysiology, growth, development, morphology or plant product(s). Forexample, structural genes would include any gene that confers insecttolerance including but not limited to a Bacillus insect control proteingene as described in WO 99/31248, herein incorporated by reference inits entirety, U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,052, herein incorporated by referencein its entirety, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,365 and 5,880,275, hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety. In another embodiment, thestructural gene can confer tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate asconferred by genes including, but not limited to Agrobacterium strainCP4 glyphosate resistant EPSPS gene (aroA:CP4) as described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,633,435, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, orglyphosate oxidoreductase gene (GOX) as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,463,175, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Alternatively, the DNA coding sequences can affect these phenotypes byencoding a non-translatable RNA molecule that causes the targetedinhibition of expression of an endogenous gene, for example viaantisense- or cosuppression-mediated mechanisms (see, for example, Birdet al., 1991). The RNA could also be a catalytic RNA molecule (i.e., aribozyme) engineered to cleave a desired endogenous mRNA product (seefor example, Gibson and Shillito, 1997). Thus, any gene which produces aprotein or mRNA which expresses a phenotype or morphology change ofinterest is useful for the practice of the present invention.

G. Definitions

In the description and tables herein, a number of terms are used. Inorder to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, the following definitions are provided:

Allele: Any of one or more alternative forms of a gene locus, all ofwhich alleles relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cellor organism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding locion a pair of homologous chromosomes.

Backcrossing: A process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybridprogeny, for example a first generation hybrid (F₁), back to one of theparents of the hybrid progeny. Backcrossing can be used to introduce oneor more single locus conversions from one genetic background intoanother.

Crossing: The mating of two parent plants.

Cross-pollination: Fertilization by the union of two gametes fromdifferent plants.

Diploid: A cell or organism having two sets of chromosomes.

Emasculate: The removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivation ofthe organs with a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor or a chemicalagent conferring male sterility.

Enzymes: Molecules which can act as catalysts in biological reactions.

F₁ Hybrid: The first generation progeny of the cross of two nonisogenicplants.

Genotype: The genetic constitution of a cell or organism.

Haploid: A cell or organism having one set of the two sets ofchromosomes in a diploid.

Linkage: A phenomenon wherein alleles on the same chromosome tend tosegregate together more often than expected by chance if theirtransmission was independent.

Marker: A readily detectable phenotype, preferably inherited incodominant fashion (both alleles at a locus in a diploid heterozygoteare readily detectable), with no environmental variance component, i.e.,heritability of 1.

Phenotype: The detectable characteristics of a cell or organism, whichcharacteristics are the manifestation of gene expression.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL): Quantitative trait loci (QTL) refer togenetic loci that control to some degree numerically representabletraits that are usually continuously distributed.

Resistance: As used herein, the terms “resistance” and “tolerance” areused interchangeably to describe plants that show no symptoms to aspecified biotic pest, pathogen, abiotic influence or environmentalcondition. These terms are also used to describe plants showing somesymptoms but that are still able to produce marketable product with anacceptable yield. Some plants that are referred to as resistant ortolerant are only so in the sense that they may still produce a crop,even though the plants are stunted and the yield is reduced.

Regeneration: The development of a plant from tissue culture.

Self-pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigmaof the same plant.

Single Locus Converted (Conversion) Plant: Plants which are developed bya plant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially allof the morphological and physiological characteristics of a tomatovariety are recovered in addition to the characteristics of the singlelocus transferred into the variety via the backcrossing technique and/orby genetic transformation.

Substantially Equivalent: A characteristic that, when compared, does notshow a statistically significant difference (e.g., p=0.05) from themean.

Tissue Culture: A composition comprising isolated cells of the same or adifferent type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of aplant.

Transgene: A genetic locus comprising a sequence which has beenintroduced into the genome of a tomato plant by transformation.

H. Deposit Information

A deposit of tomato hybrid PS01544291 and inbred parent line FDS15-2102, disclosed above and recited in the claims, has been made withthe American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 10801 University Blvd.,Manassas, Va. 20110-2209. The date of the deposits was Jan. 26, 2010.The accession numbers for those deposited seeds of tomato hybridPS01544291 and inbred parent line FDS 15-2102 are ATCC Accession No.PTA-10610 and ATCC Accession No. PTA-10603, respectively. Upon issuanceof a patent, all restrictions upon the deposits will be removed, and thedeposits are intended to meet all of the requirements of 37 C.F.R.§1.801-1.809. The deposits will be maintained in the depository for aperiod of 30 years, or 5 years after the last request, or for theeffective life of the patent, whichever is longer, and will be replacedif necessary during that period.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity andunderstanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modificationsmay be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

REFERENCES

The following references, to the extent that they provide exemplaryprocedural or other details supplementary to those set forth herein, arespecifically incorporated herein by reference:

-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,175-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,365-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,055-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,435-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,052-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,275-   An et al., Plant Physiol., 88:547, 1988.-   Bird et al., Biotech. Gen. Engin. Rev., 9:207, 1991.-   Bustos et al., Plant Cell, 1:839, 1989.-   Callis et al., Plant Physiol., 88:965, 1988.-   Choi et al., Plant Cell Rep., 13: 344-348, 1994.-   Dekeyser et al., Plant Cell, 2:591, 1990.-   Ellul et al., Theor. Appl. Genet., 107:462-469, 2003.-   EP 534 858-   Fraley et al., Bio/Technology, 3:629-635, 1985.-   Fromm et al., Nature, 312:791-793, 1986.-   Fromm et al., Plant Cell, 1:977, 1989.-   Gibson and Shillito, Mol. Biotech., 7:125,1997-   Klee et al., Bio-Technology, 3(7):637-642, 1985.-   Kuhlemeier et al., Plant Cell, 1:471, 1989.-   Marcotte et al., Nature, 335:454, 1988.-   Marcotte et al., Plant Cell, 1:969, 1989.-   Odel et al., Nature, 313:810, 1985.-   Omirulleh et al., Plant Mol. Biol., 21(3):415-428, 1993.-   Potrykus et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 199:183-188, 1985.-   Roshal et al., EMBO J., 6:1155, 1987.-   Schaffner and Sheen, Plant Cell, 3:997, 1991.-   Schernthaner et al., EMBO J., 7:1249, 1988.-   Siebertz et al., Plant Cell, 1:961, 1989.-   Simpson et al., EMBO J., 4:2723, 1985.-   Terada and Shimamoto, Mol. Gen. Genet., 220:389, 1990.-   Uchimiya et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 204:204, 1986.-   Wang et al., Science, 280:1077-1082, 1998.-   Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 1 8:6531-6535, 1990.-   WO 99/31248

1. A tomato plant comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes oftomato line FDS 15-2102, a sample of seed of said line having beendeposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-10603.
 2. A seed comprising atleast a first set of the chromosomes of tomato line FDS 15-2102, asample of seed of said line having been deposited under ATCC AccessionNo. PTA-10603.
 3. The plant of claim 1, which is hybrid.
 4. The plant ofclaim 3, wherein the hybrid plant is tomato hybrid PS01544291, a sampleof seed of said hybrid having been deposited under ATCC Accession No.PTA-10610.
 5. A plant part of the plant of claim
 1. 6. The plant part ofclaim 5, further defined as a leaf, a ovule, pollen, a fruit, or a cell.7. The plant part of claim 6, further defined as a fruit.
 8. A tomatoplant, or a part thereof, having all the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of the tomato plant of claim
 1. 9. A tomato plant, or apart thereof, having all the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of the tomato plant of claim
 4. 10. A tissue culture ofregenerable cells of the plant of claim
 1. 11. The tissue cultureaccording to claim 10, comprising cells or protoplasts from a plant partselected from the group consisting of embryos, meristems, cotyledons,pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, root tips, pistil, flower, seed andstalks.
 12. A tomato plant regenerated from the tissue culture of claim11.
 13. A method of vegetatively propagating the plant of claim 1comprising the steps of: (a) obtaining tissue capable of beingpropagated from a plant according to claim 1; (b) cultivating saidtissue to obtain proliferated shoots; and (c) rooting said proliferatedshoots to obtain rooted plantlets.
 14. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising growing plants from said rooted plantlets.
 15. A method ofintroducing a desired trait into a tomato line comprising: (a) crossinga plant of line FDS 15-2102, a sample of seed of said line having beendeposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-10603, with a second tomato plantthat comprises a desired trait to produce F1 progeny; (b) selecting anF1 progeny that comprises the desired trait; (c) crossing the selectedF1 progeny with a plant of line FDS 15-2102 to produce backcrossprogeny; and (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) three or more times toproduce selected fourth or higher backcross progeny that comprise thedesired trait.
 16. A tomato plant produced by the method of claim 15.17. A method of producing a plant comprising a transgene, the methodcomprising introducing a transgene into a plant of tomato hybridPS01544291 or tomato line FDS 15-2102, a sample of seed of said hybridand line having been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-10610 andATCC Accession No. PTA-10603, respectively.
 18. A plant produced by themethod of claim
 17. 19. A plant of tomato hybrid PS01544291 or tomatoline FDS 15-2102 further comprising a transgene, a sample of seed ofsaid hybrid and line having been deposited under ATCC Accession No.PTA-10610 and ATCC Accession No. PTA-10603, respectively.
 20. A seedthat produces the plant of claim
 19. 21. A plant of tomato hybridPS01544291 or tomato line FDS 15-2102 comprising a single locusconversion, a sample of seed of said hybrid and line having beendeposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-10610 and ATCC Accession No.PTA-10603, respectively.
 22. A seed that produced the plant of claim 20.23. A method for producing a seed of a plant derived from hybridPS01544291 or line FDS 15-2102 comprising the steps of: (a) crossing atomato plant of hybrid PS01544291 or line FDS 15-2102 with a secondtomato plant; a sample of seed of said hybrid and line having beendeposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-10610 and ATCC Accession No.PTA-10603, respectively; and (b) allowing seed of a hybrid PS01544291 orline FDS 15-2102-derived tomato plant to form.
 24. The method of claim23, further comprising the steps of: (c) crossing a plant grown fromsaid hybrid PS01544291 or FDS 15-2102-derived tomato seed with itself ora second tomato plant to yield additional hybrid PS01544291 or FDS15-2102-derived tomato seed; (d) growing said additional hybridPS01544291 or FDS 15-2102-derived tomato seed of step (c) to yieldadditional hybrid PS01544291 or FDS 15-2102-derived tomato plants; and(e) repeating the crossing and growing steps of (c) and (d) to generateat least a first further hybrid PS01544291 or FDS 15-2102-derived tomatoplant.
 25. The method of claim 23, wherein the second tomato plant is ofan inbred tomato line.
 26. The method of claim 24, further comprising:(f) crossing the further hybrid PS01544291 or FDS 15-2102-derived tomatoplant with a second tomato plant to produce seed of a hybrid progenyplant.
 27. A method of producing a tomato comprising: (a) obtaining aplant according to claim 1, wherein the plant has been cultivated tomaturity; and (b) collecting a tomato from the plant.
 28. The method ofclaim 27, wherein the plant is a plant of tomato hybrid PS01544291, asample of seed of said hybrid PS01544291 having been deposited underATCC Accession No. PTA-10610.
 29. A method of producing seed comprisingcrossing the plant of claim 1 with itself or a second plant.